Department for Transport

Driving Tests: Flintshire

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what alternative arrangements have been made for residents of Flintshire to take driving tests during the temporary closure of the Chester driving test centre.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are committed to providing testing in the Chester area, from mid-February DVSA will offer both car and motorcycle practical tests from Cheshire County Sports Club as a temporary measure. In the meantime, DVSA is continuing to look for a new permanent site in the Chester area.

M25

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average journey time northbound between junction 3 and junction 30 on the M25, between the hours of (a) 6am to 9am, (b) 11am to 2pm and (c) 4pm to 7pm in each of the last six months.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of what the average journey time southbound between junction 30 and junction 2 on the M25, between the hours of (a) 6am to 9am, (b) 11am to 2pm and (c) 4pm to 7pm in each of the last six months.

Andrew Jones: Average journey time data between J3 and J30 travelling northbound and between J30 – J2 southbound on the M25 is not available. Highways England measures average journey times between J2 – J30 northbound and between J29 – J1B southbound on the M25. Average monthly journey times between July and December 2015 for the morning peak, inter-peak and evening peak periods are set out in the table below. All of these average monthly journey times are quicker than comparable data for journeys prior to the introduction of Dart Charge in November 2014.MonthTimeNorthbound J2 - J30Southbound J29 - J1BJuly*6am - 9am10:1312:1211am - 2pm15:2312:174pm - 7pm16:5212:51August6am - 9am09:2210:4311am - 2pm18:2712:014pm - 7pm18:3410:55September6am - 9am09:4811:5511am - 2pm11:1110:494pm - 7pm15:2611:32October6am - 9am10:5812:0011am - 2pm13:2511:274pm - 7pm15:3313:17November6am - 9am11:4212:1511am - 2pm10:4011:554pm - 7pm18:2313:14December**6am - 9am10:5312:4011am - 2pm12:2611:184pm - 7pm22:4117:04* Speed limit increase on 27th July.** The technology used to monitor journey times at Junction 1B became faulty in the southbound direction on 5 December. This means southbound December data is for 01/12/15 to 05/12/15All of these average monthly journey times are quicker than comparable data for journeys prior to the introduction of Dart Charge in November 2014.

Maritime Growth Ministerial Group

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which departments have members on the cross-departmental Maritime Business Services working group; and how often he expects that group to meet.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth met for the first time on 30 November 2015. The government departments which attended that meeting were the Department for Transport, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. Those Government departments with interests in future cross cutting discussions will be invited to further meetings.The current expectation is that this group will meet twice in 2016 with a review at the end of the year to determine future needs.

Large Goods Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is considering to reduce (a) CO2 and (b) NOx emissions for HGVs (i) domestically and (ii) at EU Level.

Andrew Jones: The Government has implemented measures to encourage cleaner and more fuel efficient HGVs including through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, the £11m Low Carbon Truck Trial, and our £25m Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Competition. The Department for Transport is currently leading a review of options to further reduce CO2 emissions from the freight sector.In December 2015 the Government published the UK air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide. Under this plan some older polluting vehicles, including lorries, will be discouraged from entering a number of city centres as one of a number of measures that will ensure the UK meets legal limit values outside London by 2020. Together with the existing Low, and forthcoming Ultra Low, Emission Zone in London, and other complementary measures in the Capital, this will encourage the uptake of lower emission HGVs.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the use of longer-length or mega lorries in (a) the UK and (b) urban areas.

Andrew Jones: The longest length of lorry allowed on UK roads, including urban areas, is the road train at 18.75m. This is the maximum authorised length of lorry that the General Circulation Directive permits for national and international traffic. The Department is currently trialing longer semi-trailers (which are up to 2m longer than standard sized articulated lorries) although these are shorter than the road trains that are already in circulation across EU roads.Local authorities have powers under Sections 1 & 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to exclude heavy goods vehicles either generally or at specified times from roads for which they are considered to be unsuitable.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff at HS2 Ltd and his Department have gone through or are going through disciplinary or employment tribunal process since HS2 Ltd was formed.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Part AWithin HS2 Ltd, 4 staff have gone through a disciplinary process since March 2013. Only one of these cases has proceeded to an Employment Tribunal. There are no central records prior to this date.Part BWithin the Department for Transport (excluding its Agencies), there have been 49 disciplinary cases and 12 Employment Tribunals since April 2013. Information prior to this date is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many members of staff have left HS2 Ltd or his Department and been re-engaged on a self-employed or consultancy basis by either organisation in each year since the formation of HS2 Ltd.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Part AHS2 Ltd do not have any staff who have been re-engaged on a self-employed or consultancy basis.Part BThe Department for Transport (excluding its Agencies) has 3 staff that have been re engaged on a self-employed or consultancy basis during this time period.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff have transferred from another government department to HS2 Ltd in each year since HS2 Ltd was formed; and from what Departments those staff transferred.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd do not hold a record of organisations from which employees are hired. However, there are 3 staff known to HS2 Ltd that have transferred during the last two years from Department for Transport, one from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and one from the Cabinet Office.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many personnel employed by or on secondment to HS2 Ltd of each grade have left the organisation in each year since it was formed.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table below sets out the number of personnel by grade employed by or on secondment to HS2 Ltd who have left the organisation in each year since 2013.HS2 GradeCivil Service/DfT Grade20132014201522+SCS200121SCS121120SCS100119G625318G6131017G724916SEO281215SEO25814HEO38813HEO471012EO22411AO3111110AO4639AA000Total276081

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the expected investment spending on housing by central government will be between 2016-17 and 2020-21.

Brandon Lewis: Spending Review 2015 prioritised housing by doubling the housing budget from 2018-19 to deliver at least 400,000 new affordable homes. It sets out the most ambitious plan since the 1970s to build homes that support working people in their aim to buy their own home.Taken together the capital programme, loan schemes, Help to Buy and other measures amount to over £20 billion investment in housing over the Spending Review period.The detailed list of housing programmes for 2016-17 to 2020-21 is outlined in the five point Housing plan in the Spending Review 2015 document (pp. 40-42).

Affordable Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, on which 500 new sites the Government plans to directly build affordable homes, at least 30,000 new starter homes and up to 30,000 market homes by 2020.

Brandon Lewis: The Government expects to secure at least 500 sites for starter homes through the use of the new £1.2 billion starter home land fund. These sites will be identified over the next three years, working closely with local planning authorities and developers. Further details about the operation of the fund will be announced in due course.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, whether the town centre, community facilities and commercial space at Northstowe are intended to open at the same time as the new homes take their first residents.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, whether a new college and innovation centre is intended to open at the same time as the first of the 249 residential units at the direct commissioning site at Daedelus Waterfront.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, whether the new high street, schools and leisure facilities and commercial and office space are intended to be open at the same time as new homes take their first residents at the direct commissioning site at Old Oak Common.

Brandon Lewis: The direct commissioning pilots will follow the normal planning and commercial processes for determining the phasing of homes and associated facilities.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, what the components are of the significant holding costs for the direct commissioning site at Connaught Barracks, Dover.

Brandon Lewis: The holding costs for the site relate to the entirety of the site and are consistent with the legal and health and safety obligations of the Homes and Communities Agency as land owner.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, for what reasons the Homes and Communities Agency was ultimately unable to reach a commercially acceptable agreement for the development in Lower Grayling Well.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, what the difficulties are which have resulted in credible bidders being deterred for the development in Daedelus Waterfront.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many leases of what tenure are planned for the new homes to be built on the direct commissioning sites at (a) Northstowe, (b) Old Oak Common, (c) Daedelus Waterfront, (d) Connaught Barracks and (e) Lower Grayling Well.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new affordable homes to (a) rent and (b) buy will be built via section 106 Planning Obligations on the direct commissioning sites at (i) Old Oak Common, (ii) Northstowe, (iii) Lower Grayling Well, (iv) Connaught Barracks and (v) Daedelus Waterfront.

Brandon Lewis: The holding costs for the site relate to the entirety of the site and are consistent with the legal and health and safety obligations of the Homes and Communities Agency as land owner.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which builders have been contracted to build new homes at the direct commissioning site at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what tendering and commissioning process was followed in selecting builders at the direct commissioning site at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who in his Department took the decision on which builders to contract to build new homes on the direct commissioning sites at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many building companies have applied for but been refused a contract to build new homes on the direct commissioning sites at (a) Daedelus Waterfront, (b) Lower Grayling Well, (c) Connaught Barracks, (d) Northstowe and (e) Old Oak Common.

Brandon Lewis: These will be detailed commercial arrangements that will be established through a competitive procurement process. Existing public procurement processes will apply.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January, The Government will directly build affordable homes, whether the £1.2 billion starter home fund to prepare brownfield sites for new homes is additional to (a) the £2.3 billion to support the delivery of starter homes between 2016-17 and 2020-21 announced in the Autumn Spending Review 2015 and (b) the £10 billion allocated to housing in the Autumn Spending Review 2015.

Brandon Lewis: The new £1.2 billion starter home land fund, announced by my rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 4 January, forms part of the £2.3 billion announced in the Autumn Statement to support the delivery of starter homes following the outcome of the Spending Review 2015.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many disputes have been filed through an accredited tenancy deposit scheme and withdrawn before a final decision was made in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The number of disputed cases filed but withdrawn by each of the three authorised tenancy deposit schemes in the last five years is set out in the tables below.Number of cases withdrawn before adjudication by approved scheme 2010/11(1) 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15MyDeposits (2)177 1,012 1,324 1,626 1,728 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015Deposit Protection Service (3)1,049 (4) 1,945 1,888 2,489 2,464The Dispute Service832 1,186 1,810 2,140 2,075(1) From 24 November 2010(2) Figures include cases where tenants have raised a dispute but scheme has been unable to contact them for further information.(3) Figures include cases where (i) both parties have reached agreement (ii) notification given that the case is going to court (iii) one party has not submitted any evidence within the required timescale which has resulted in the disputed amount being paid to the other party and (iv) other reasons.(4) From June to December 2011The upward trend in the number of cases withdrawn before adjudication is a result of the successful use of mediation services by the schemes before the formal adjudication process begins and the detailed guidance and advice provided to both landlords and tenants by the schemes to help avoid disputes.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, what steps he is taking to catalyse the delivery of the wider commercial development in the direct commissioning site at Daedelus Waterfront.

Brandon Lewis: The Homes and Communities Agency continues to work with the local authority to explore options for bringing forward the wider Daedalus site.

Communities and Local Government: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Local Government: Procurement

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to promote local authority sub-contracting to small local businesses.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to ensuring there is a simple and consistent approach to procurement across the whole public sector, including local authorities, so that small local businesses can gain better and more access to public sector contracts – either directly or sub-contracted.New reforms included in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 aim to make public contracts more accessible to businesses and in particular to small and medium enterprises. The reforms included the abolition of the pre-qualification questionnaire for low value tenders; advertising all contracts on Contracts Finder; and paying down the supplier chain in 30 days.Alongside these reforms we continue to work with the sector, the Local Government Association and the Crown Commercial Service to identify further ways to remove excessive burdens on small businesses and make the public sector procurement process faster, more transparent and less bureaucratic.

Floods: Emergencies

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to introduce a single point of emergency contact during incidents of flooding to improve the co-ordinated response to flooding incidents where residents are currently required to contact the responsible agency based on the source of the flood waters; and if he will make a statement.

James Wharton: The Environment Agency’s Floodline number (0345 988 1188) already provides a single source of information and advice during flooding incidents and is available 24 hours a day. If there is a danger to life or a risk of injury, then residents should call 999 as they would with other emergencies.

Floods: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will reconsider the decision that West Lancashire Borough Council be allowed the special levy contribution towards the operation of an Internal Drainage Board to take account of the recent flooding in West Lancashire.

James Wharton: The decision on whether to support the creation of an Internal Drainage Board is a local matter. We welcome the establishment of new Internal Drainage Boards where these are proposed and supported by the local community.These are funded through drainage rates paid directly by agricultural landowners and special levies issued on district and unitary authorities. Local authorities take account of the need to pay levies as part of their annual budget setting process.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage zero-carbon housing; and if he will make a statement.

James Wharton: I refer my rt. hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 23 October 2015, PQ 12627.

Housing: Flood Control

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how householders can access funding for flood prevention measures for their properties directly and without the requirement to be part of a flood action group.

James Wharton: It is a matter for local authorities to determine how those householders not part of a flood action group will be able to access funding for flood prevention measures. Full details should be available from the relevant local authority.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the maximum permitted spending by each campaign will be during the final weeks of campaigning on the referendum on EU membership; and what steps the Electoral Commission plans to take to ensure that spending by each campaign is subject to the same limit.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) sets out the spending limits that apply during the regulated referendum period at UK-wide referendums. The duration of the referendum period for the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union will be set out in secondary legislation.PPERA does not set total spending limits for each of the referendum outcomes; rather it applies spending limits to individual campaigners that take part in the debate.The Commission is already monitoring the campaigning activities of potential referendum campaigners so that it can identify any emerging issues and offer advice and guidance to those that intend to campaign at the referendum. Once the rules come into force, the Commission’s campaign monitoring will inform the use, if necessary and appropriate, of its enforcement and sanctioning powers where the rules are not followed.For the EU Referendum, Parliament increased the limits set out in PPERA to take account of inflation. The limits for political parties that register to campaign in support of a particular outcome are allocated according to the party’s share of the vote at the last UK Parliamentary general election. Campaigners that do not register with the Commission are limited to spending £10,000. The new limits are set out in the table below:EU Referendum Bill spending limits for a referendum held before 31 December 20172015 UK general election vote shareLimits for designated lead campaigners£7,000,000-Limits for political parties with:>30% share of the vote£7,000,000Conservative (36.8%)>20-30% share of the vote£5,500,000Labour (29%[1])>10-20% share of the vote£4,000,000UKIP (12.6%)>5-10% share of the vote£3,000,000Liberal Democrat (7.9%)£700,000SNP (4.7%) Green (3.8%) DUP (0.6%) Plaid Cymru (0.6%) Sinn Fein (0.6%) SDLP (0.3%) UUP (0.4%) Plus all other parties that stood at least one candidate at 2015 UKPGELimits for other registered campaigners£700,000-[1] Labour Party share of the vote is adjusted because votes cast for joint candidates are divided by the number of parties the candidate is standing for i.e. Labour / Co-op candidates (PPERA Sch14, para 1(4))

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

EU Law

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many new EU regulations have become law in the UK since May 2015.

Mr David Lidington: There are different types of EU laws, some of which are directly applicable in the UK (regulations), and others which may require domestic implementing measures to give them full effect (such as directives). Sometimes administrative rules or guidelines will be needed in the UK whilst on other occasions legislation may be necessary. Additionally, EU legislation may be new, or it may amend or repeal existing legislation. There is often a delay before an EU law enters into force for instance in order to enable Member States to adopt the necessary domestic implementing measures; different parts of EU laws may enter into force at different times. The information which brings together all these categories of EU measures is not held centrally. However details of all EU-derived legislation currently on the statute book in the UK can be found on our website at: legislation.gov.uk and on the Official Journal of the EU at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html

Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart on the status of the request for protection measures for Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo.

Mr Hugo Swire: Officials from the Our Embassy in Bogotá have raised the case of Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo with the Colombian government's Presidential Advisor for Human Rights.

Colombia: Human Rights

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart to support the efforts of the Interchurch Peace and Justice Commission to install a second humanitarian space adjacent to the Puente Nayero Humanitarian Space.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Embassy in Bogotá supports the Inter-Ecclesiastical Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP) and its work to promote human rights and peace in Colombia. British Embassy officials have already scheduled a visit Buenaventura at the end of this month to gain a better understanding of the current situation and assess future requirements for humanitarian spaces.

Saudi Arabia: Political Prisoners

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has contacted the Saudi Arabian government on the human rights element in the case of Waleed Abu al-Khair.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are very concerned about the case of Waleed Abu Al-Khair and we have raised this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities. Our Ambassador in Riyadh, as well as our Embassy team, continues to make representations on cases like this on a regular basis.The UK’s position on human rights in Saudi Arabia is a matter of public record. We frequently raise our human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels.

UK Membership of EU

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in reducing red tape for British business during his Department's renegotiation of the UK relationship with the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. That includes cutting red tape to make Europe more competitive, so we create jobs and make British families more financially secure. We have made progress; legislative proposals under the new Commission fell by 80 percent in 2015, and more regulations were repealed in 2015 than in the whole of the previous Commission. But the burden from existing regulation is still too high and so we are working to secure a target to cut the total burden on business.

Islamic State: Oil

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and officials in his Department have had with the government of Israel on the prevention of oil smuggling from wells under the control of Daesh; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have briefed the Government of Israel on Coalition efforts to target and disrupt Daesh oil sales through military action and sanctions. Daesh oil sales are a complicated picture. It is known that individuals linked to the Assad regime have bought Daesh oil and there is some smuggling across borders in the region, but the majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls. We have no evidence to suggest that Israel is buying oil from Daesh controlled oilfields.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on prisoners sentenced to death in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and firmly supports freedom of expression in every country. We continue to communicate to the Saudi authorities, our stance on the death penalty at every suitable opportunity. I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 5 January on Saudi Arabia (Official Report, Column 93).

Saudi Arabia: Overseas Trade

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Saudi Arabian government on the UK-Saudi trade relationship.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our prosperity relationship with Saudi Arabia is important, but it is only part of the relationship, not the key driver. We have a broad and deep relationship that covers security, culture, health and trade.Saudi Arabia is one of the UK’s largest trading partners in the Middle East, and the leading Middle Eastern exporter of goods to the UK. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), visited Saudi Arabia most recently in October 2015 and held discussions on a range of bilateral issues.

Libya: Infrastructure

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects Libyan Investment Authority funds to be released for Libyan social and physical infrastructure projects from the Future Generations Fund, Libyan Local Investment and Development Fund and the Budget Stabilisation Fund.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is for the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) to decide on the allocation of funds for Libyan social and infrastructure projects. Some LIA assets are frozen under UN and EU regimes, but the LIA continues to have access to unfrozen funds. Article 8b of the EU Regulation provides a derogation such that if LIA were to make an application, the competent authorities of the Member States (which in the UK is HM Treasury) may authorise the release of frozen funds or economic resources under certain circumstances.

India: Prisoners

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure a conclusion to the case of six former British soldiers held in India on weapons charges; and what support his Department offered to each person so detained.

Mr Hugo Swire: Ministers have raised this case at the highest levels over thirty times since November 2013: my Right Honourable Friend, the Member for Witney, the Prime Minister, raised it for the third time with Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the United Kingdom in November. On 11 January, the men were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and I raised this in my introductory meeting with the new Indian High Commissioner the following day. While we cannot interfere in the Indian legal process, we will continue to offer consular support to all the men and their families and urge that their appeal application be dealt with swiftly.

Colombia: Conditions of Employment

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the use of illegal sub-contracting employment arrangements in Colombia.

Mr Hugo Swire: Her Majesty's Government has not received official reports on the scale of illegal sub-contracting employment in Colombia.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Iran: Israel

Sir Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Iranian government on respecting UN resolutions on Holocaust denial.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We take very seriously any activities aimed at casting doubt on the occurence of the Holocaust, wherever they occur in the world. We have made clear our concerns about Iran’s policies towards Israel and the Holocaust on many occasions, and most recently we raised our concerns over an alleged proposal to hold a competition in Iran for Holocaust-related cartoons.

Bahrain: Prisoners

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Bahrain on the treatment in prison of Hasan Mushaima.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of the case of Hasan Mushaima and have raised it with the Government of Bahrain. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. In parallel, we encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.

Bahrain: Ethnic Groups

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of discrimination by the Bahraini government against Bahraini Shia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry made a number of observations regarding long-standing complaints of sect-based discrimination in Bahrain. We have raised these concerns with the Government of Bahrain and we continue to encourage the Bahraini authorities to implement in full the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Bahrain on implementation of the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly discuss reform with the Government of Bahrain. At the November 2015 UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting I stressed the importance of implementing the outstanding recommendations made in the report. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report revealed deep-rooted and historical challenges which will take time for the Government of Bahrain to address fully. As a trusted partner we will continue to offer practical and technical assistance to help the authorities deliver reforms that benefit all Bahrainis.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of political prisoners in Bahrain; and what discussions he has held with the Bahraini government on the release of political prisoners.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We do not hold details of the number of political prisoners. However, we regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain - including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. If we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform.

UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

UK Membership of EU

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he held with his Swiss counterpart on that country's relationship with the EU as part of his Department's preparations for the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The British Ambassador in Berne and other officials hold regular meetings with their Swiss counterparts to discuss a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including Switzerland’s relationship with the EU. Most recently, Swiss State Secretary Yves Rossier visited the UK in November and held meetings with Foreign Office and Treasury officials.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: (a) None. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have any staff in Stoke-on-Trent, and has not abolished or relocated any jobs from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010.(b) None. The FCO’s non-departmental public departments and executive agencies do not have any staff in Stoke-on-Trent, and have not abolished or relocated any jobs from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implementation to date of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Following Adoption Day in October, Iran has been undertaking the nuclear actions required under the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action, including recently shipping 12.5 tonnes of enriched uranium to Russia. Iran has almost completed removing the necessary 13,000 centrifuges and put plans in place to remove the core of the Arak plutonium reactor. The International Atomic Energy Agency will verify that Iran has undertaken all of the necessary steps to trigger Implementation Day.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department provides for members of the Yemeni community in the UK to contact or find out information on relatives in Yemen affected by the civil war in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: For the past four years Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice has consistently advised against all travel to Yemen. We recommend that British nationals in Yemen leave immediately. In addition to ongoing fighting, there remains a very high threat of kidnap and unlawful detention from militia groups, armed tribes, criminals and terrorists. The operations of our Embassy in Sana’a have been suspended since February 2015, which makes it difficult to provide any assistance in country. The FCO would not usually be responsible for facilitating contact between family members in a conflict, but as far as we are aware telephone communication is still possible in some areas.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As at 31st December 2015, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had 1874 female and 2444 male paid employees.

Northern Ireland Office

Females: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on (a) tackling isolation of women living in rural areas and (b) providing more opportunities for women to participate in political and public life.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I have had no discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on tackling isolation of women living in rural areas.I have general discussions with Ministers in the Executive on a range of issues and this has included providing more opportunities for women to participate in political and public life. During the recent cross party talks, I also highlighted the importance of engaging women in community initiatives to combat the influence of paramilitary groupings. This is reflected in the Fresh Start Agreement.The Government recognises the lack of female representation in politics and public life and further recognises the positive outcomes that result in tackling this inequality. As the 2015 Conservative Manifesto said: “We also want to increase the proportion of public appointments going to women in the next Parliament, as well as the number of female MPs.”I have attended a number of events meeting women’s groups from across Northern Ireland and discussed the role of women in civic society and politics. This includes speaking at the Women’s Engagement Roadshow event in Belfast which highlighted the work Government is doing to improve the lives of women, and also provided women with a forum to voice their concerns about the issues that are important to them.I welcome the fact that on 11 January Arlene Foster became Northern Ireland’s first woman First Minister.

Refugees: Syria

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the resettlement in Belfast of those Syrian refugees who arrived in Northern Ireland before Christmas 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the next phases of the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Northern Ireland, including the numbers of refugees to be resettled in 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I have participated in general discussions with colleagues, including the Home Secretary, on the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the UK. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State sits on the Government’s Syrian Refugee Relocation Ministerial Group.The Home Office are working with local authorities and the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to put in place the necessary arrangements for the resettlement of Syrian refugees. My Department is in regular contact with the Home Office about these matters.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent progress has been made on the remaining legacy issues in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: During the talks last autumn, significant progress was made on how to implement the legacy bodies set out in the Stormont House Agreement. It was regrettable that agreement on all the legacy issues could not be reached during the talks process. I have, however, commenced a round of engagement with victims and others as we seek to achieve the consensus needed to bring forward legislation to address the outstanding legacy issues.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she plans to commence talks on the remaining legacy issues in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I recently met the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors and the Victims and Survivors Forum and I have commenced a round of engagement with the political parties. I will continue to meet with victims and others as we seek to achieve the consensus needed to bring forward legislation to address the outstanding legacy issues.

Attorney General

Human Trafficking: Prosecutions

Henry Smith: To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to improve the number of successful prosecutions for human trafficking offences.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued guidance to strengthen prosecutions in support of the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The CPS continues to deliver joint training with the police. The increased awareness and emphasis on working with the police to build stronger cases should lead to an improvement in the number of successful prosecutions.The Director of Public Prosecutionsis hosting a summit with the Heads of the Prosecution Services in the UK and the Lord Advocate for Scotland in February 2016 to launch joint commitments to provide a more robust UK response to human trafficking and slavery.

Juries

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20564, how many people were charged with jury (a) intimidation and (b) tampering in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: Section 51 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 creates two offences:S.51(1) creates an offence directed at acts against a person who assists in an investigation of an offence or who is a witness or potential witness or juror or potential juror whilst an investigation or trial is in progressS.51(2) creates an offence directed at acts against a person who assisted in an investigation of an offence or who was a witness or juror after an investigation or trial has been concluded.The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.The number of offences charged under s.51(1) and s.51(2) are as follows:2010-20112011-20122012-20132013-20142014-2015Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 51(1)Intimidate a witness / juror3,2752,6302,1482,0662,202Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 51(2)Do an act which harmed a witness / juror1021669972109Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 51(2)Threaten a witness / juror240172118122129The proportion of CPS cases that result in a guilty plea has increased from 67.2% in 10/11 to 74.5% in 14/15 which means that there are fewer cases that are likely to be subject to the sorts of acts covered by s.51(1) during the course of the prosecution.Also, s.51(1) covers intimidation of juror or potential jurors. The number of crown court trials have also been reducing over the period in question by 9.5%, again resulting in fewer cases where S.51(1) offences are likely to apply.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of apprentices received (a) formal and (b) informal training in each year since 2007.

Nick Boles: In 2013/14, 79% of Apprentices received formal training. In 2011/12 and 2012/13 the figures were 76% and 77% respectively. Information on formal training was not collected prior to 2011/12.In 2013/14, 80% of Apprentices received informal training, while in 2012/13, 85% of apprentices received informal training. . Information on informal training was not collected prior to 2012/13.Information on types of training can be found in the Apprenticeships Evaluation: Learners survey report online.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387662/bis-14-1208-Apprenticeships-Evaluation-Learners-December-2014.pdf

Nuisance Calls

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on protecting people from harassment from nuisance calls.

Nick Boles: My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has regular discussions with his counterpart at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on a wide variety of issues.

Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department allocated to HM Revenue and Customs for the purpose of prosecuting employers who failed to pay the minimum wage in each financial year since 2005; and what the projected budget is for such activities in each financial year until 2020.

Nick Boles: Funding for National Minimum Wage (NMW) prosecutions is not fixed and comes out of the overall HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforcement budget, allocated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The overall budget for 2015/16 is £13.2m, a £4m increase on 2014/15. Table 1 sets out the enforcement budget for each year since 2005/06.The Government is committed to simple, effective NMW enforcement which supports workers and businesses by deterring non-compliant employers from underpaying their workers and removing the unfair competitive advantage that underpayment can bring. For this reason the Government increased HMRC’s 2015/16 enforcement budget by £4 million in 2015/16, and will further increase the enforcement budget from April 2016. A proportion of this budget will be used to establish a new team of compliance officers in HMRC to investigate the most serious cases of employers not paying the NMW and, from April, the National Living Wage. The team will have the power to use all available sanctions, including penalties and criminal investigation.No decision has been taken on the enforcement budget until 2020.Table 1: HMRC NMW enforcement budgetYearHMRC Enforcement Budget (millions)2005/06£5.62006/07£5.82007/08£6.82008/09£7.62009/10£8.32010/11£8.12011/12£8.32012/13£8.32013/14£8.32014/15£9.22015/16£13.2

Apprentices: Retail Trade

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Government subsidies and financial incentives to retail companies to encourage the creation of apprenticeships in the retail sector were given to companies known to use zero-hours or casual contract since 2010.

Nick Boles: We do not hold this information.

Renewable Energy: Overseas Investment

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department provides to UK-based renewable energy companies seeking to invest in developing country markets; how many companies in that sector have received such support; and what steps he is taking to increase such support (a) in general and (b) through export guarantees.

Anna Soubry: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) supports UK companies who want to grow their business overseas. We provide tailored support packages for companies from first time exporters to medium sized businesses, whilst also providing digital and online support to all businesses. We continue to proactively support UK renewable companies and recognise the huge potential in developing country markets. Support from UK Export Finance (principally in the form of insurance to exporters, guarantees to banks and loans to overseas buyers) is also available for UK exporters in all sectors including the renewable energy sector.

Gift Cards

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit expiry dates on gift cards.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no current plans to introduce legislation to prohibit the use of expiry dates on gift cards.

Students: Debts

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which the level of student debt affects the outcome of students' applications for a mortgage.

Joseph Johnson: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Mortgage Market Review, introduced in April 2014, requires mortgage lenders to assess individuals’ ability to repay their loans. The Council for Mortgage Lenders has advised that individuals who have a student loan and are earning over the relevant repayment threshold may have higher committed expenditures and lower net incomes and this could mean they are unable to borrow as much as an equivalent individual who is not repaying a student loan.

Housing: Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that sufficient tradesmen are trained to support an increase in housing construction.

Nick Boles: The Government is committed to significantly increasing the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships in England to 3 million starts by 2020; the construction industry will have an important part to play in achieving this target.Development of skilled labour can only be achieved with engagement of the industry. Construction employers in England are engaged in the Trailblazer process to develop apprenticeship standards that are fit for business, and we have announced a new apprenticeships levy which will put investment in training, and apprenticeships specifically, on a long-term, sustainable footing.Initiatives, by the Construction Leadership Council, or through the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) are seeking to encourage more young people into construction careers. This work includes the launch of the GO-Construct website and work with the National Careers Service and Construction Ambassadors for schools.The CITB and CITB Northern Ireland have also developed a range of initiatives. In England these include working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces resettlement service, Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Home Builders Federation, to encourage experienced individuals into the sector. The CITB continues to work closely with the Home Builders Federation to support skills initiatives.However, as noted in my answer to PQ UIN 18208 skills policy (including apprenticeships policy) is a devolved matter. In Northern Ireland, it is the responsibility of the Department of Employment and Learning.

Higher Education: Costs

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of university for students.

Joseph Johnson: All eligible students can apply for an upfront tuition fee loan to meet the costs of their tuition fees. This ensures that students are not prevented from attending their course because they cannot pay for their fees.From 1 August 2016 onwards, students who would otherwise have received a grant will see an increase in the amount of maintenance support they can access, with those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds receiving 10.3% more in loans for living costs.Linking repayment to a borrower's income will ensure that deductions are based on their ability to repay. Repayments are made through the UK tax system at 9% of earnings of any income over the relevant repayment threshold and they will cease if earnings fall below the threshold. Any outstanding loan balance will be written off after thirty years.

Manufacturing Industries: EU Law

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate how many new EU regulations and directives have been implemented in the UK in 2015 which affect British manufacturing industries.

Anna Soubry: All regulations implementing EU legislation that were introduced in 2015 and their associated impacts can be found on legislation.gov.uk.

NHS: Apprentices

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities have not completed their NHS apprenticeship placements.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities have not completed their apprenticeship placements with a five per cent club employer.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.22 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, how many apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities have not completed their transport-related apprenticeship placements.

Nick Boles: The table below shows this information for apprenticeship frameworks that are related to the transport Industry.Table 1: Apprenticeship success rates for learners with a learning difficulty or disability on frameworks related to the transport industry (2013/14)FrameworksOverall Success RateAviation Operations on the Ground85.7%Driving Goods Vehicles70.7%Rail Transport Engineering81.0%Road Passenger Transport - Bus and Coach81.0%Transport Engineering and Maintenance96.2%Vehicle Body and Paint Operations58.3%Vehicle Fitting68.8%Vehicle Maintenance and Repair67.0%Vehicle Parts Operations72.2%Notes1) Frameworks with fewer than 20 leavers are excluded.2) Figures for learning difficulties or disabilities are based on self-declaration by the learner The Department does not collect the information required to estimate 5 per cent club or NHS apprenticeship success rates.

Apprentices

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.28 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what information his Department holds on the proportion of planned apprenticeships provided by the five per cent club which are expected to be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

Nick Boles: The Five Per Cent Club has been developed and is run by businesses themselves who commit to making a public declaration to achieve five per cent of their company’s overall UK headcount being an apprentice, a sponsored student or on a graduate programme. We do not hold any information on the proportion of planned apprenticeships provided by employers in the Five Per Cent Club which are expected to be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.Thousands of disabled people have benefitted from apprenticeships. Of the 499,900 starting an apprenticeship in the 2014/15 academic year, 44,090 of those declared a disability or learning difficulty (LDD).

NHS: Apprentices

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.22 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the planned 17,000 NHS apprenticeship starts which will be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

Nick Boles: The NHS has committed to creating 100,000 apprenticeships by 2020, offering opportunities to thousands of people who wish to pursue a career in the health sector. This is part of a wider, cross-government commitment to reaching three million apprenticeship starts in England across all sectors in 2020.Apprenticeships are full time jobs with training. We do not interfere in employers’ recruitment decisions or set specific quotas for the number of apprenticeships to be taken up by people with special educational needs or disabilities. All employers must fulfil their duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for apprentices as they would for other employees. We believe that the overwhelming majority of young people with special educational needs or disabilities are capable of sustainable, paid employment with the right preparation and support. For many, apprenticeships are the best route into paid employment. To support this, people aged 16 and over can apply for Access to Work funding for adjustments to the workplace. In addition, reasonable adjustments are available for any qualifications within apprenticeships to ensure the apprentice has every opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Further Education: Procurement

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on what date the second wave Area Reviews for further education college providers he plans to commence.

Nick Boles: As we have set out in the published information relating to the second wave of area reviews, the first steering group meeting, which will be in the Marches and Worcestershire area, is scheduled to take place on Monday 18 January 2016.

Further Education: Lancashire

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which colleges he plans are to be included in (a) the third wave Area Reviews for Lancashire (Pennines) further education colleges and (b) in the fourth wave Area Reviews for Lancashire (Coastal) further education colleges.

Nick Boles: We have published indicative information in relation to the future waves, 3 to 5, of the area reviews. This includes the proposed reviews for the Lancashire area. I met with the Lancashire College Group yesterday and discussed with them the timing of the two Lancashire reviews and the colleges to be included in each. We will review the future waves in light of further discussions and ongoing assessment of risk and we will publish updated information on this in due course.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff in her Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether her Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether her Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Developing Countries: Transport

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of wider access to efficient refrigerated transport to reducing (a) food waste in developing countries and (b) carbon dioxide emissions.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID is working to support partner countries to tackle poverty and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by building sustainable infrastructure, increasing their access to clean energy and reducing deforestation. DFID recognises the importance of investment in trade and transport logistics to improve efficiency and reduce delays, which have major impacts on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. These improvements will have downstream impacts on many trade related issues including reducing the amount of spoilt goods from transit delays. We are engaged in this area in a number of ways. For example, Trade Mark East Africa is helping to improve the major trade corridors in East Africa to reduce the time and expense of transporting goods. Furthermore, the investment by CDC group into Grindrod, a South African logistics company, is enabling it to expand its transport logistics investments across sub-Saharan Africa. CDC is the UK’s development finance organisation with DFID as its only shareholder.

Department for International Development: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many jobs in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Mr Nick Hurd: Neither DFID nor its non-departmental public bodies have had, nor plan to have, any jobs based in Stoke-on-Trent during the periods in question.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure aid is delivered to the Syrian town of Madaya.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. The UK co-sponsored and lobbied hard for the passage of UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which call on the parties to allow rapid, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to besieged and hard to reach places. An estimated £275 million (49%) of humanitarian assistance funded by the UK for inside Syria has been allocated for cross-border operations.We have provided support to the UN and international NGOs (INGOs) since the start of the conflict to deliver aid in hard to reach and besieged areas of Syria, including Madaya.On 11 January 2016, the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent confirmed that aid convoys of humanitarian assistance had arrived in the hard to reach the town of Madaya, and the besieged areas of Foah and Kefraya. Further convoys are anticipated over the next couple of days. The convoy is expected to meet survival needs of the 40,000 persons inside Madaya, and 20,000 people inside Foah and Kefraya.DFID funding to UN agencies is directly supporting the current convoy with food parcels, nutritional supplements, essential drugs and non-food items including winterisation kits.The UK worked with partners in the UN Security Council to put humanitarian access in Madaya, and across Syria, on the Security Council’s agenda on Monday 11 January.

Sri Lanka: Infrastructure

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to encourage investment in infrastructure in the north and east of Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID does not have a bilateral programme with Sri Lanka. However, the UK continues to provide assistance through a share of its contributions to multilaterals working in Sri Lanka, such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Inclusive growth is a major thrust of the ADB’s Sri Lanka strategy, with projects that support investment in infrastructure in the north and east of the country, as well as elsewhere.

Department for Education

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of changes in the cash level of per pupil funding for secondary schools in the county of Nottinghamshire in each of the next five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have announced the per pupil funding rates for 2016-17. Nottinghamshire will receive £4,355 per pupil in 2016-17. We have protected these rates against 2015-16 levels, so that Nottinghamshire will continue to receive the additional £860,000 it received in 2015-16. Whilst the Department sets the level of funding received by each local authority, it is for local authorities, in consultation with their schools forum, to set their own funding formulae to decide how to distribute funding for pupils aged 5 to 16 in their areas, including the funding allocated to secondary schools.Beyond 2016-17, the Government is committed to delivering our manifesto pledge to make school funding fairer. We intend to introduce a National Funding Formula for schools, high needs and early years. We will set out, and consult on, our detailed plans for a National Funding Formula later in the year.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Discipline

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days were added in each prison establishment as a result of adjudications in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous: The information on the number of additional days awarded to prisoners in each prison establishment as a result of adjudications in each year since 2010 can be found in the attached table although figures for 2015 are not yet available.Discipline procedures are central to the maintenance of a safe custodial environment. They are provided for by the Prison and Young Offender Institution Rules which require adjudications to be conducted lawfully, fairly and justly, and for prisoners and young people (aged 15-17) to have a full opportunity to hear what is alleged against them and to present their case. Independent Adjudicators are District Judges or Deputy District Judges who attend prisons and Young Offender Institutions when necessary to hear adjudication cases which are deemed sufficiently serious. These cases may merit a punishment of additional days to a prisoner’s time spent in custody if the prisoner or young person is found guilty. Only Independent Adjudicators can make an award of additional days as a punishment.A range of safeguarding measures are in place to make sure that a prisoner or young person is physically and mentally fit to face an adjudication hearing and any subsequent punishment.



Number of Instances and Days from 2010-14
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.81 KB)

Ministry of Justice: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the number of litigants in person in personal injury claims; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on income to insurance companies of the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the prevalence of the practice of third party capture; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the potential effect of changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on the number of personal injury claims; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government received and analysed data from numerous sources when formulating the announcement in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. We will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders including other Government Departments, solicitors and insurers in taking forward the new reform package. The Government will consult on the detail of these measures in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Israel

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on Israeli products in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made the total value of payments below against contracts where the MOD Commercial teams have identified Israel as the location of some or all of the work required for the completion of the overall contract.Financial YearTotal Value of Payments (£ million)2012-1318.92013-1425.52014-1515.8These figures may not include all subcontracted components of Israeli manufacture and may include subcontracted components manufactured in countries other than Israel. The analysis is based on Location of Work codes and does not relate to the billing address of companies nor is it based on ownership of the companies involved in the production of the product.

Church Commissioners

Floods: Blackburn

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Anglican churches within the Diocese of Blackburn were damaged by flooding in December 2015; and what the extent of damage to each such church was.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: Within the Diocese of Blackburn seven churches and churchyards, the diocesan retreat house at Whalley Abbey and three Church of England primary schools were damaged by floodwater. Many have also found that the boilers and heating systems have been damaged beyond repair and extensive programmes of works will need to be undertaken to both dry the buildings out and restore or replace furniture, carpets and school materials.Reports of damage are still being registered across the Dioceses of Blackburn, Carlisle, Manchester, West Yorkshire and the Dales and York. To date 129 church properties have registered substantial damage from the December storms with our insurers, though I expect that figure to rise. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Council of the Church of England will be working with the dioceses to develop robust disaster management and recovery plans and flood adaptation measures for churches and other buildings.Within the Blackburn DioceseParish Name / buildingGrade or * listing / StatusType of damageSt Michael’s on WyreGrade 1Water damage and damage to the boilerSt Michael's, Much HooleGrade 2*Water damage and damage to the boilerSt Mary the Virgin, EcclestonGrade 2*Water damageSt Michael & All Angels, CrostonGrade 2*Severe water damageSt John the Evangelist, Lancaster (Incare of Churches Conservation Trust)Grade 2*Severe water damageSt John the Baptist, TunstallGrade 1Damage to the boilerSt Wilfrid's, RibchesterGrade 1Damage to the graveyard and loss of many burials and monumentsWhalley AbbeyGrade 1 and Scheduled Ancient MonumentMajor water damage to the Abbey buildingKirkland & Catterall St. Helen's CofE School Primary SchoolSevere water damageSt. Michael's on Wyre C of E SchoolPrimary SchoolMajor water damageWhalley CofE SchoolPrimary SchoolBasement flooded and water damage

Floods: Blackburn

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps Anglican congregations within the Diocese of Blackburn have taken to help people affected by flooding that took place over Christmas 2015.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Diocese of Blackburn has been coordinating with its local Gold Command support centre and with Churches Together. Within Preston the Diocese and local churches have set up an emergency centre at the railway station. An additional emergency centre was also set up in Morecambe alongside smaller centres supported by the Diocese in Ribchester and Walton le Dale. In St Michael’s on Wyre the church has also been offering support to the army who were deployed in the parish.These centres have been an invaluable support to local communities as a central hub for information and support. In addition local communities have been providing hot food and warm clothing to those who have been flooded out and to relief workers. Churches Together in Lancashire have been coordinating a wider response amongst local denominations and this has enabled many local churches to respond quickly and in those places where their help is most needed.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Information relating to gender distribution in government departments is collated by the Office for National Statistics and published under the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey each year. The number of each gender working in DCMS is:GenderHeadcount%Male22046Female26054Total 480

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in universal credit work allowance on (a) incentives to work and (b) the number of hours worked.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in the universal credit work allowance on carers.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in the universal credit work allowance on employees of his Department.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in universal credit work allowance on workers under the age of 25.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of reductions in the universal credit work allowance on (a) working families and (b) people's ability to take on part-time work.

Priti Patel: The impact of the work allowance change cannot be considered in isolation – it is part of a broader package of measures announced at the Summer Budget, such as the increase to the personal tax allowance and introduction of the national living wage, which strengthens incentives to find work and better paid jobs.

Work Programme: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the contract payment for each of the principal Work Programme providers is for each six month period or quarter.

Priti Patel: Due to its commercial sensitivity, the information is not available.

Universal Credit: Zero Hours Contracts

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of universal credit claimants who are employed on a zero-hours contract.

Priti Patel: Universal Credit is paid on the basis of earnings. Information on types of contracts that claimants are on is not routinely collected.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds of Prey

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will issue clear guidance that buzzard control licences should be granted to gamekeepers or organisations whenever the criteria for applications for such licences are met.

Rory Stewart: Licences to control buzzards are issued by Natural England on the Secretary of State’s behalf in accordance with the Government’s policy on wildlife management. Following the recent McMorn judgment in the High Court, which quashed a licencing decision taken in 2014 relating to buzzards, Natural England is revising the guidance on dealing with these types of application and once completed, the guidance will be publicly available.

Inland Waterways and Rivers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many miles of river and waterway bank the Environment Agency has weeded in the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency is responsible for 22,600 miles of main river and carries out conveyance work which includes aquatic weed management. This activity is carried out on a risk based approach which is dependent on local circumstances and associated flood risk.In 2014/15the Environment Agency allocated around £45 million on conveyance work to control aquatic weed in rivers, dredging rivers and removing shoals and silt, clearing screens and removing obstructions from rivers so that water can flow freely along the channel.

Inland Waterways and Rivers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many miles of river and waterway bank the Environment Agency (a) strengthened and (b) raised in the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency is responsible for over 22,600 miles of main river. Strengthening and raising of rivers and waterways is part of the Environment Agency’s ongoing capital programme.

Flood Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where the Environment Agency deployed its mobile pumps in December 2015.

Rory Stewart: Mobile pumps were moved to locations as required as part of our dynamic response to the various incidents that happened in December. The Environment Agency sent 42 pumps from other areas to the north of England including Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. This was to support existing equipment in use within the area.

Flood Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many mobile pumps the Environment Agency owns.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency owns a total of 245 mobile pumping units which can be deployed to respond to flooding incidents.During the flooding in December 2015, 425 mobile pumping assets owned and held by responding organisations, including the Fire Services and the Environment Agency, were identified as being available to Strategic Coordination Groups (Gold Controls).

Flood Control: York

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Environment Agency did not deploy mobile pumps to York when the fixed pumps in that area were insufficient.

Rory Stewart: All 8 of the fixed pumps at the Foss Barrier were fully operational during the onset of flooding in York. The capacity of these pumps is sufficient in all but the extreme conditions which were experienced in December 2015. It is an assessment that the speed and the rise of the water level of the Foss would have overwhelmed the capacity of any potential temporary pumps, particularly given the design of the barrier, which restricted the area available for pumps.

Inland Waterways: Dredging

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many miles of waterway the Environment Agency dredged in the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency estimates that the length of watercourse where dredging was carried out was approximately 120 miles (200km) in 2014/15.

Flood Control

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fixed location pumps the Environment Agency uses to control water flows in England.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency operates and maintains 347 fixed pumping stations in England.

Inland Waterways and Rivers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many miles of rivers and waterways the Environment Agency is responsible for.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency’s flood risk management powers cover over 22,600 miles of ‘Main River’. They are also the navigation authority for over 621 miles (1000km) of waterways in England.

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commission an urgent review of flood defences in (a) Leeds city region and (b) Yorkshire.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of flood defences in the Leeds city region.

Rory Stewart: Whenever an exceptional event happens it is important to review what happened and how to prepare for the future, and the Environment Agency will always do this after a flood incident.The flood response in Yorkshire will be overseen by Transport Minister Robert Goodwill who has been appointed as Flooding Envoy to the county and will track progress on recovery and identify lessons learntWork has also already started on the National Resilience Review, which is considering forecasting and modelling, resilience of key infrastructure and the way we make decisions on flood expenditure. The Review is being delivered by a cross-Government team and will be published in the summer.£40 million funding has been committed to repair flood defences in response to the flooding. Going forward, as part of our new flood defence programme, we have been working with Leeds City Council and we are investing £33 million in a project to better protect Leeds City Centre. Construction of the new defences is already underway.

Floods: Fracking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of onshore oil and gas (a) licence blocks and (b) wells with permission to be drilled are in areas with high or medium flood risk; what the Government's policy is on permitting fracking in areas of flood risk; what assessment she has made of the effect of flooding on the risks of water contamination associated with shale gas extraction; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Prior to the launch of the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round, a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was undertaken for all areas offered for licensing applications, which addressed flood risk. The award of a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) does not itself give any permission for operations to begin. Before a licensee can commence any operations they must apply for and be granted a number of further permissions and consents for each specific site within a PEDL area. These include planning permission and environmental permits from the Environment Agency.Flood risk will be considered on a case by case basis where relevant as part of the consideration through the planning system of proposals for onshore oil and gas development, including development involving hydraulic fracturing. National planning policy is clearthat inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding shouldbe avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk. Where development is necessary, it should be made safe without increasing flood risk elsewhere. The policy is also clear that development should not contribute to, or be adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of water pollution.Flood risk is also taken into account by the Environment Agency before any environmental permits are issued to drill for oil and gas. If a company wishes to carry out works in, over, under or near a main river, flood defence or a sea defence, they must apply to the Environment Agency for consent. To carry out work on watercourses which are not regulated by the Agency, a company will need to apply to the relevant regulatory body responsible for that particular watercourse.

Soil Erosion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Question 11893, when her Department plans to publish an assessment of the effectiveness of the Soil Protection Review and cross-compliance inspection regime in reducing soil erosion; and what penalties there are for landowners who do not take steps to reduce soil erosion.

Rory Stewart: Defra published the report ‘An Assessment of the implementation of the Soil Protection Review (SPR) 2010 and soil management practices in England’ in 2012. The report considered the overall impact of the SPR on soil management practices in England including on erosion.Defra introduced new national standards for agricultural soils under cross compliance in January 2015 which apply to recipients of Common Agricultural Policy funding. The Government is monitoring the implementation of the new rules.The penalty regime for cross compliance is set out in the Cross Compliance Guidance 2016 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guide-to-cross-compliance-in-england-2016

Flood Control: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on flood defences in the Leeds city region in each year since 2010; and how much she plans to spend on such defences in each year until 2020.

Rory Stewart: Between 2010-2011 and 2014-2015,£57.2m was allocated for flood defences in Leeds City Region. From 2015-2016 to 2019-2020, a further £50.2m has been allocated for further flood protection measures.

Rivers: Dredging

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to dredge rivers to prevent further flooding; and if her Department will review any current restrictions on dredging in place to permit more dredging in the future.

Rory Stewart: Dredging is one of a number of tools that can be used by the Environment Agency and landowners to manage flood risk. Dredging and clearing channels are important parts of the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime and it assess the benefits carefully on a location by location basis. This is done in consultation with local communities and organisations such as Internal Drainage Boards as appropriate.Subject to parliamentary approval,new regulations will make it easier for farmers to maintain watercourses. Defra have worked with the Environment Agency to ensure that the necessary safeguards are in place to protect the environment. An exemption to allow farmers to dredge and clear debris from up to 1.5 kms of certain watercourses is due to be part of the new Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) for flood risk activities planned for April.

White Fish: Fishing Catches

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what use she plans to make of the granting of (a) exemptions and (b) increased vessel limits for gillnetting of sea bass to achieve quota recommendations from the International Council for Exploration of the Sea.

George Eustice: The package of EU bass measures agreed at the December Fisheries Council included derogations and differentiated catch limits for fixed gillnets. The legislative arrangements do not include a mechanism for granting or withholding such provisions by Member States, although Member States may impose more stringent standards at national level if considered appropriate.With regard to the recommendations from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member on 12th January 2016, PQ UIN 20832.

Flood Control: North West

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding will be made available to Salford City Council in financial years (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 to develop flood defences along the river Irwell.

Rory Stewart: Between 2015/16 and 2016/17 £5.635 million of Government funding has been allocated to the Salford Flood Alleviation Scheme, with £5.047 million allocated in 2015/16 and £0.588 million in 2016/17. This investment is for the second flood storage area at Castle Irwell in Salford, which will reduce the risk of flooding to 2000 properties.

Cosmetics: Plastics

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward proposals to ban the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetics and soaps.

Rory Stewart: The UK and neighbouring countries are working with industry to achieve a voluntary phase out of plastic microbeads in cosmetics and soaps.

Nature Conservation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to respond to the proposals on licences set down in Clause 23 of the draft Wildlife Bill produced by the Law Commission.

Rory Stewart: Defra intends to provide a response to the Law Commissions report on wildlife law by late 2016.

Hunting

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the humaneness of hunting with dogs.

Rory Stewart: The Government has no plans to make an assessment of the humaneness of hunting with dogs. However, in 1999 a Government Committee (the Burns Inquiry) was set up to examine the facts in the debate about hunting with dogs, including whether hunting with dogs is cruel. The findings of the inquiry were published on 9 June 2000 (www.huntinginquiry.gov.uk/mainsections/huntingframe.htm).On 12 March 2001 Lord Burns stated: “… There was not sufficient verifiable evidence or data safely to reach views about cruelty. It is a complex area …". [Hansard 12 March 2001; col. 533http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/2001/mar/12/hunting-bill].

Floods: Agriculture

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to extend the Farming Recovery Fund to provide support for farmers in all areas affected by the recent flooding.

George Eustice: We have extended the Farming Recovery Fund to allow eligible farmers in Lancashire and Yorkshire impacted by storm Eva, which hit over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, to be able to apply for support.The deadline for applications has been extended from 18 March 2016 to 1 April 2016 to provide further time for affected farmers to apply.

Flood Control: EU Law

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive 2000 on how floods have been controlled in the UK.

Rory Stewart: Implementation of the Water Framework Directive is devolved within the UK.Implementation of the Directive promotes, through river basin planning, an integrated approach to managing water and promotes local decisions in catchments to take account of the particular circumstances. Where parts of rivers are managed for certain uses (including flood protection), they are formally designated as ‘heavily modified’ and the management of those rivers must take account of those uses. In England, 1,105 of 3,767 rivers are designated as heavily modified; 781 of them because of their important role in providing flood protection.Many of the actions needed to protect and improve the quality of the water environment (for instance restoring peat land, wetland creation and sustainable management of soils) also help to reduce flooding. The Directive also promotes sustainable flood risk prevention and flood management schemes. Consideration of natural flood management measures to slow, store and filter flood water can deliver additional social and environmental benefits when used along with traditional hard defences, and can increase resilience of communities to extreme events, both floods and drought. The ‘Slowing the Flow’ project in Pickering is an example of this.

Floods

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of households affected by floods on 26 December 2015 in (a) Lancashire and (b) England.

Rory Stewart: Over 1,300 properties in Lancashire were affected by floods following Storm Eva with around 9,000 properties in England. These figures are subject to change and are based on local authority reporting.

Floods

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of homes affected by flooding in winter 2015-16 that do not have insurance.

Rory Stewart: We have made no assessment on the number of uninsured homes affected by flooding this winter.To help those affected by the current flooding, including the uninsured, the Government has announced nearly £200m to support recovery efforts. This includes funding to make properties more resilient to future flooding. In addition, we are taking action to protect people at the highest flood risk by making sure that everyone can access affordable flood insurance, regardless of where they live. Flood Re has now been set-up and it is expected to begin in April.

Flood Control: Lancaster

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set up a flood partnership group for Lancaster, chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with membership from local authorities, the Environment Agency and community flood defence groups.

Rory Stewart: There are currently no plans to set up a flood partnership group for Lancaster chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. The Environment Agency, however, will be leading in Lancashire to ensure that robust partnership working mechanisms are established to protect communities in the future.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

George Eustice: Defra will publish the latest annual workforce monitoring report in January 2016. The report examines the diversity of Defra’s workforce and provides evidence of how we achieve our aim of offering real equality of opportunity to all our employees.The data from this report has been used to create the table below to highlight gender breakdown by headcount. Table 1 shows staff in post as at 31 March 2015 in Defra and its Executive Agencies. Employees on maternity leave and secondment are included in this analysis if they are on the core or agency payroll.Table 1Headcount Workforce monitoring reportGender (male)Gender (female)Defra2,0861,0641,022APHA2,3599911,368Cefas545311234RPA2,1349821,152VMD1586593Defra and its Agencies7,2823,4133,869The report referred to can be found on the Gov.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs/about/equality-and-diversity

Housing: Flood Control

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many properties in (a) the UK and (b) England have received any funding grants of up to £5,000 from the Environment Agency for the purchase and installation of flood prevention measures in their homes since 2012.

Rory Stewart: Between 2011/12 and 2014/15, approximately 60 projects have been funded through Flood Defence Grant-in-Aid and Partnership scheme funding by the Environment Agency to provide individual property level protection to approximately 1,100 homes.Over 6,000 properties benefitted from Defra funding up to £5,000 from the Repair & Renew Grant scheme launched following the winter floods 2013/14 to help protect their property against future flooding.These figures are for England only. Flood Risk management is a devolved matter managed locally by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments.

Flood Control: North West

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will review the decision by the Environment Agency to turn off five satellite pumping stations in 2017 operating in the Alt Crossens catchment.

Rory Stewart: By serving a two-year notice period on the five pumping stations in Alt Crossens, the Environment Agency intends to provide time for all local parties to agree on an alternative solution for managing the pumps. I hope all the local parties will continue to work with the Environment Agency to agree a way forward.

Home Office

Immigration: Appeals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals were heard in the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) relating to immigration decisions made by her Department in each of the last five years; for how many of those cases her Department did not appoint a legal representative; and in how many of those cases where no legal representative was appointed the appeal was upheld.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Justice publishes data at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics on the total number of appeals disposed at the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) which includes all types of immigration appeal. Due to the way that data is recorded on Home Office systems, overseas appeals have been excluded from the data set included in the table attachment. The data also excludes paper cases at which a Home Office representative is not required.The Home Office is usually represented at appeal hearings by a Home Office Presenting Officer acting as a Crown representative on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD) in immigration appeals pursuant to s84 (6) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 covers who can act as legal representatives in immigration appeals. Subsection 6 specifies that persons acting on behalf of the Crown or relevant Government Department can represent the SSHD at immigration appeals and do not need to be a legally qualified person. However in some cases barristers have also been used.The proportion of oral appeals not represented increased between January – September 2015 in comparison to the previous 2 years. This was the result of the availability of Presenting resource in the Home Office to match court listing schedules which varied from forecasts used for planning purposes to a significant extent. Resources were put in place to ensure that representation rates increased in the final three months of the calendar year.

Asylum

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how many asylum applications did it take UK Visas and Immigration longer than 12 months to make an initial decision; how many such applicants submitted a request to be allowed to work in the UK; how many of those requests to work were rejected; and how long, on average, did it take for those accepted to be given documents confirming their right to work in each year since 2009-10.

James Brokenshire: The table below shows, for each year from 2009-10, the time taken to make an initial decision, including those made within 12 months of claiming asylum.In the year ending 31 March 2015, UKVI completed a sigmificant exercise in clearing all straightforward asylum cases with a claim date preceding 1 April 2014.Financial YearTotal Number of DecisionsNo of Cases with a decision Over a YearNo of Cases with a decision Under a Year2009/1024,5103,04821,4622010/1119,8184,01015,8082011/1216,9701,47915,4912012/1317,5611,20816,3532013/1415,1412,30512,8362014/1525,9928,28117,7112015/16 (Up to the 30 Sep 2015)13,0731,21711,856The Home Office holds reportable information on the number of asylum seekers who have not received a decision within twelve months. Permission to work requests are also recorded on the immigration casework database but this information is not readily reportable without interrogating thousands of individual cases. Therefore, the information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Criminal Records: EU Nationals

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent people in other EU countries who have been convicted for murder, violent assault or rape from travelling to the UK.

James Brokenshire: The UK has always and will continue to operate our borders securely and enforce our immigration laws. This includes carrying out full checks on all arriving passengers in order to identify any criminal, security and immigration concerns. All passengers are checked against police, security and immigration watchlists and where we are aware of individuals who pose a risk, Border Force officers can, and do refuse them entry. However, that requires other countries to inform us of individual’s criminal histories.This Government has also introduced a new power to enable the UK to require entry clearance applicants to provide an overseas criminal record certificate, helping to reduce overseas offenders gaining visas to enter the UK. From 1 September 2015, Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur entry clearance applicants and their adult dependents are now required to provide a criminal record certificate from the country/countries in which they have been living for the past ten years. This will be rolled out to other categories at a later stage on a phased basis.The UK is leading calls in Europe to improve the sharing of criminal records information between Member States, allowing us better to identify criminals before they try and enter the UK. This includes accelerating work to develop a more comprehensive system for sharing information on non-EU nationals who receive criminal convictions within the EU. In the light of the unprecedented migratory flows into Europe, the UK is leading calls for systematic and complete identification, registration and fingerprinting of those entering the EU as well as greater sharing of information about those who pose a risk. The Home Office is also leading work to progress recommendations from a project to tackle serious offending by mobile EU criminals (SOMEC Project). This project examines the threat from offenders crossing internal EU borders who pose a risk.

Immigration Controls: France

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 15757, what proportion of clandestine illegal entry attempts in 2014-15 were intercepted by the (a) French authorities and (b) UK authorities.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



The UK Government does not release statistics that could prejudice the security of the UK borders.

Firearms: Crime

Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the recorded level of gun crime was in (a) England and (b) the West Midlands between (i) January 2010 to December 2012 and (ii) January 2013 to December 2015.

Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions have been made in connection with gun-related crime in the West Midlands metropolitan area in each quarter of the last five years.

Mike Penning: Offences involving firearms recorded by the police at the force area level are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on a financial year basis. The most recently published figures for the West Midlands and England are 2013/14. These are given in the table and show that between 2009/10 and 2013/14, offences involving firearms (excluding air weapons) fell by 40% in both the West Midlands and in England.Figures for 2014/15 are due to be published on 11 February 2016 in the ONS publication Focus on: Violent Crime and Sexual Offences 2014/15.The ONS publish provisional data for England and Wales on the number of offences involving firearms in their quarterly crime statistics releases. The most recently available figures are for the year ending June 2015 and these can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/year-ending-june-2015/stb-crime--ye-june-2015.htmlThe Home Office does not collect data on the number of people arrested in connection with offences involving firearms. The Home Office collects data on arrests by groups of crimes (for example, violence against the person, robbery) but cannot separately identify those that involved a firearm from those that did not.Convictions data are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice has informed the Home Office that they do not hold data on the number of convictions for offences where a firearm was involved.

Refugees: France

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it the policy of the Government to refer to the European Court of Justice the failure of the French government to register non-EU citizens in France who are in need of international protection.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



All migrants in France who wish to seek international protection should do so in France. In accordance with the Joint Ministerial Declaration of August 2015, we continue to work closely with France on a range of migration and security issues and have no plans to change this constructive approach.The French Government is committed to meeting its EU and international obligations and has opened up new places in its asylum system for those that claim asylum in Calais.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients: Children

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how long people under the age of 18 who were transferred to a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 were detained on average in (a) a police cell and (b) a police vehicle in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Mike Penning: The information requested is not held centrally.However, the use of police cells as a place of safety for all persons detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 has more than halved since 2011/12 (when figures were first collated) as shown in the following table. A joint inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC); Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP); the Care Quality Commission (CQC); and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) (published in 2013) found that the average time that each such person spent in police custody was 10 hours 32 minutes.The Government intends to make provision in the Policing and Crime Bill, to be introduced in Parliament soon, to prohibit the use of police cells as places of safety for people under the age of 18, and to further limit their use in the case of adults. The maximum period for which a person may be detained pending a mental health assessment will also be reduced.Table 1: number of times a police station was used as a place of safety for people detained under Section 136 Mental Health Act 1983 (England only)YearSection 136 detentions in police stationsPercentage reduction year on year (to nearest whole number)2011-128,667N/A[1]2012-137,881-9%2013-146,028-24%2014-153,996-34%Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre[1] No data on use of police stations is available for 2010-11.

Firearms: Crime

Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the supply of guns and ammunition at a neighbourhood level.

Mike Penning: The Government and police work nationally, and with international partners, to reduce the threat to the UK from the criminal use of firearms. In 2013/14, firearms were used in a small and diminishing proportion of total police recorded crime, 0.2%. The figure for 2009/10 was 0.3%. Following the firearms surrenders in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands in 2013 and 2014, the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) co-ordinated firearms surrenders in the majority of the Police Force areas in England and Wales during 2014 and 2015, resulting in the surrender of over 6000 items.As of 7th January 2016; 3,864 firearms and over 13,000 items of ammunition have been recovered following the November 2015 firearms surrender, with 934 weapons being recovered prior to the November surrender. Of those items recovered in the November surrender (discounting ammunition, CS Sprays and Stun Guns), items include:• 516 pistols;• 473 revolvers;• 1,226 shotguns;• 243 rifles;• 873 air weaponsThis brings the total volume of firearms surrendered in the last eighteen months to 4,798. If ammunition, CS Sprays and Stun Guns are included this comes to over 6000.Following publication of the Law Commission’s report on firearms law published on 16 December we will be reviewing options to strengthen the current legislation to ensure it safeguards against abuse by criminals.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees were resettled in each (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Home Office is committed to publishing data on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 25 February 2016 and will cover the period October - December 2015.This information will not show where refugees have been resettled, as resettlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme by local authorities is voluntary. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licences for experimentation with animals the Animals and Science Committee granted in the most recent year for which data is available.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 12 January 2016



The Animals in Science Committee (ASC) are responsible for providing impartial, balanced and objective advice to Ministers relating to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Committee is not responsible for granting licences. Under Section 9 of ASPA, the Secretary of State may consult the Committee regarding licence applications. Current policy requires referral of the following categories of project licence application:• the use of wild-caught non-human primates;• the use of cats, dogs, equidae or non-human primates in severe procedures;• use of endangered species;• projects with major animal welfare or ethical implications;• projects involving the use of admixed embryos falling into category 3 of the Academy of Medical Science report on Animals Containing Human Material and category 2 where the predominance of an admixed embryo is unclear or uncertain;• projects which may invoke any of the ‘safeguard clauses’ in the Directive with respect to the purpose of primate use, proposals for the use of a great ape, or proposals to cause long-lasting pain, suffering or distress that cannot be ameliorated; or• projects of any kind raising novel or contentious issues, or giving rise to serious societal concerns.In 2014, the most recent year for which we have data available, the ASC provided advice on four project licences. These were subsequently granted by the Home Office. The numbers of licences the ASC provided advice on in 2015 will be published in the ASC Annual Report later this year.

Asylum: Kuwait

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she estimates her Department's investigations into applications for family reunion from Kuwaiti Bidoon people will be concluded; how many such application are outstanding in that category; when the earliest such application under that category that remains outstanding was submitted; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Firearms: Smuggling

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firearms and of what type have been seized at the UK border in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wales Office

UK Membership of EU: Wales

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effect on Wales if the UK voted to leave the EU.

Stephen Crabb: The Prime Minister believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed European Union. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Wales Office: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Stephen Crabb: There are currently 23 women and 23 men working at the Wales Office.

Cultural Heritage: Wales

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what progress the Government has made on the return of the Prince of Wales' regalia to Wales.

Stephen Crabb: I fully support the campaign to return His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales' regalia to Wales, in this the 40th Anniversary Year of the Prince’s Trust. There has been a lot of interest in this for a number of years and I welcome the agreement of HM the Queen for the symbolic regalia to be displayed in Llandovery.

NHS: Wales

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the cost efficiency of the NHS in Wales compared with England.

Alun Cairns: The Welsh Government is responsible for the NHS in Wales. It is up to the Welsh Government to decide how best to use their funding and deliver health services in Wales.The UK Government is happy to share good practice with the Welsh Government to help ensure people living in Wales receive high quality healthcare.

HM Treasury

Financial Markets

Joan Ryan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the European Securities and Markets Authority on the efficacy of current regulations to protect against the manipulation of the financial markets.

Joan Ryan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with financial regulators to ensure that regulations on fixing the rates of the London Interbank Offered Rate are better enforced.

Harriett Baldwin: The Treasury is in regular close contact with the FCA and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) on all issues relating to financial market conduct.Following benchmark cases on LIBOR, Foreign Exchange and Gold, the government passed legislation to regulate benchmark activities in UK. The administrators and submitters to eight benchmarks, including LIBOR, are now subject to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) standards of governance, controls, accountability, management of conflicts of interest and record keeping. This domestic regime will be superseded by the EU Benchmark Regulation when that enters into force.The European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a compromise on an EU Benchmark Regulation on 24 November 2015. The Regulation brings in a set of rules to ensure that benchmark providers in the EU have prior authorisation and are subject to supervision, in line with internationally agreed principles drawn up by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).The government regularly engages with all the relevant European institutions to ensure that European-level regulations are strong and effective.

Treasury: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Working Tax Credit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of working tax credit (WTC) had an in-year change of circumstances to their income which required a change to their WTC entitlement in each year since 2009-10; how many such claimants' entitlements (a) reduced and (b) increased; and what the net change in receipts to the Exchequer was as a result of these adjustments in that period.

Damian Hinds: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Council of Economic Advisers

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual running cost is of the Council of Economic Advisers; and what office space that council is allocated within the government estate.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the members of his Council of Economic Advisers are; and what remuneration each such member receives for that role.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Council of Economic Advisers (a) last met and (b) will next meet.

Harriett Baldwin: Members of the Government’s Council of Economic Advisers meet every day to discuss the design and formation of government policy. Details of the Council’s membership and remuneration are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-december-2015. The Council operates from HM Treasury. Running costs cannot be disaggregated from the department’s budget.

Treasury: Rents

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount that his Department will pay to the Government Property Unit in rent for buildings in 2015-16.

Harriett Baldwin: No payments were made to the Government Property Unit for rent during 2015-16 as rent for buildings is instead paid directly to the relevant landlord. We estimate no payments will become due to the Government Property Unit during the remainder of the period.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) average and (b) contractually-specified maximum length of time is that a claimant has to wait for their complaint to be resolved by Concentrix.

Mr David Gauke: Concentrix are obliged under their contract with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to respond to complaints which relate to the quality of their handling of compliance interventions, as distinct from complaints on the substance of these investigations which are dealt with by HMRC.Their contract requires them to respond 80% of these complaints within 15 working days; and to reply to 100% of complaints within 40 working days. So far during 2015/16, Concentrix have received eight complaints. They replied to six of these (75%) within 15 days and seven (87.5%) within 40 days.

Treasury: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Harriett Baldwin: Gender and Diversity information can also be found in the Annual Report and Accounts. Please see link below:-https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015

Research and Development Tax Credit

Chris White: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses benefited from R&D tax credits in 2014-15; what the cost of R&D tax credits was to his Department in that year; and what the return on investment was of R&D tax credit expenditure for his Department.

Mr David Gauke: R&D tax credit statistics are published by HMRC each September, so the final figures for 2014-15 won’t be available until September 2016.HMRC’s latest statistics for 2013-14 show that there were 20,100 claims to R&D tax credits in that year, and that the scheme cost £1.75bn.In March 2015, HMRC published an evaluation of R&D tax credits. This evaluation estimates that for every pound spent by the government onR&Dtax credits, between £1.53 and £2.35 is additionally spent onR&Dby UK companies.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Electricity Generation: Finance

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she will announce details of the amount to be made available in the next round of Contracts for Difference auctions in the UK energy market; and if she will make a statement.

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she will announce the results of the next round of Contracts for Difference auctions in the UK energy market; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government will hold three Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions in this Parliament with the next auction for less established technologies expected to take place by the end of 2016. We are currently working with HM Treasury to finalise the budget for future auctions and will set out more information in due course.

Offshore Fixed Structures: North Sea

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions her Department has had with the operators of the Brae Alpha platform following the gas leak on 26 December 2015 that resulted in the shutdown of that platform.

Andrea Leadsom: The incident on 26 December 2015 was a safety-related incident at an offshore oil and gas installation, the regulation of which falls within the Health and Safety Executive’s statutory remit under the Offshore Safety Directive.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

Government Departments: Communication

Chris White: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to (a) encourage greater use of email and (b) implement other measures to reduce costs in communication by government departments.

Matthew Hancock: The Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to support departments as they digitally transform their business operations, making government services easier and more efficient to use. There is a ‘digital first’ strategy across Government to save on time as well as paper and postage costs, including the use of email to achieve this aim.The Government Communication Service (GCS) saved nearly £330m for taxpayers in 2014/15 compared to 2009/10 by making its campaigns more cost effective. The communications profession is also more streamlined, with headcount across Government reduced by a third since 2009/10. These reforms helped the Government reduce communications spending by a total of £1bn over the last Parliament. GCS continues to investigate new ways of reducing costs in Government communications.

Department of Health

Department of Health: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many press, communication and public relations staff are employed by (a) his Department, (b) Public Health England, (c) NHS England, (d) Monitor, (e) the Care Quality Commission, (f) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (g) NHS Blood and Transplant, (h) the NHS Litigation Authority, (i) the Trust Development Authority, (j) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, (k) the Human Tissue Authority, (l) the NHS Business Service Authority, (m) Health Education England and (n) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency; how many of those employees are paid more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and communication by each of those organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: Holding answer received on 17 December 2015



Below are details of communications headcount and spend for the organisations requested.On headcount, to ensure consistency, all organisations have provided information according to the following criteria for public relations (PR) and communications staff:- Press and PR- Stakeholder relations- Campaigns (including marketing and strategic communications)- Digital Communications (not IT/digital service teams)- Internal CommunicationsOn communications spend, we have provided figures for 2014/15, which is the most recent year for which figures are available.The figures on spend are split between major communications and marketing spend costs (submissions of above £100,000 which are assessed through the Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group process) and the remaining admin and minor programme spend costs. Major programme spend costs cover budgets for public information campaigns – such as smoking cessation, blood and organ donor recruitment, dementia friends, cancer diagnosis and immunisation campaigns.The figures on major campaign programme spend (in column three below) reflect the amount of money requested in the Cabinet Office submission. In some instances, the final spend on communications was lower, as some of the budget was reappropriated for operational requirements or was unused and returned to central budgets.OrganisationNumber of Communications StaffMajor campaign programme spend (Activity over £100,000 approved in 2014/15)Admin (staff / non-staff) and minor programme spend 2014/15 (£)Department of Health106.51,129,5076,968,643Public Health England115.557,162,157*8,134,900NHS England699,721,4653,292,340Monitor21n/a1,697,000Care Quality Commission34650,0006,671,635NICE74n/a2,427, 944NHS Blood & Transplant124.594,862,2578,689,004NHS Litigation Authority3n/a315,329NHS Trust Development Authority12n/a926,023Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority6.5n/a381,443Human Tissue Authority3.2n/a291,454NHS Business Services Authority17.61,028,800823,586Health Education England32n/a2,219,301Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority28n/a1,987,441*See breakdown of Public Health England campaign spend in table belowPublic Health England Campaign Spend in 2014/15CostSmokefree (tobacco control) includes Stoptober and January Health Harms campaigns£11,580,000PHE Smokefree Cars£1,400,000Be Clear on Cancer£11,685,000Stroke- ACT Fast£975,000Change4life£11,514,248Start4life£3,200,000Rise Above£1,970,000DH PHE Dementia Friends Campaign£4,000,000HIV Prevention England 14/15£550,000Sexual Health Information Family Planning Association£262,000Care & Support Reforms Phase 1£1,950,000Dementia Friends Phase 2£1,500,000Seasonal Flu Campaign£1,868,000PHE Alcohol Campaign£1,825,000PHE, Seasonal Flu, respiratory and hand hygiene 2014/15£500,000TOTAL£54,779,248We can provide information on staff paid in different salary bands. However, due to differing bands between organisations and differing geographical weighting, this does not allow us to provide figures for the number of employees paid more than £50,000 and £100,000.

Antibiotics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that antibiotics are prescribed in proportion to the severity of the illness.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England is undertaking work to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in general practice through low cost and scalable interventions designed by behavioural scientists. In addition, Public Health England has developed the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to improve behaviours around the use of antibiotics amongst both the public and healthcare professionals.Furthermore, in August 2015 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidelines on the effective use of antimicrobials (including antibiotics) in children, young people and adults. It aims to change prescribing practice to help slow the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and ensure that antimicrobials remain an effective treatment for infection.https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng15.

Dental Health: Pancreatic Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned or assessed on potential links between pancreatic cancer and gum disease.

George Freeman: The Department has not commissioned research on this topic.An international study published in the journal Gut in 2013 found that gum disease might increase the risk for pancreatic cancer. The research measured antibodies to oral bacteria in prediagnosis blood samples from 405 pancreatic cancer cases and 416 matched controls, nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC). The United Kingdom EPIC cohort was supported by the Department and six other funders.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of when new IVF treatments that enable donor fertilisation to occur outside the woman's body will be available through the NHS.

Jane Ellison: In all in-vitro fertilisation procedures fertilisation takes place outside of the body.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce fat levels in food to address levels of diabetes.

Jane Ellison: Measures by industry to reduce calories, including from fat, are important components in any approach to reduce obesity. Some parts of industry have already taken a range of actions to help people eat a healthier diet, but the challenge to make further substantial progress remains.Building on the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, the Department is developing plans to improve the outcomes for those with and at risk of Type 2 diabetes. We will announce these in due course.

NHS: Negligence

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what account he took of the manner in which the NHS Litigation Authority has carried out its duties and responsibilities in defending clinical negligence claims when approving the proposed fixed recoverable costs in the clinical negligence scheme.

Ben Gummer: The planned consultation on the introduction of fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims is also looking to streamlining claims for clinical negligence, focusing conduct by both claimants and defendants on what is required for a fair and proportionate resolution and encourage an overall system and process that is more resource efficient and that incentivises the right behaviours by all parties.

Department of Health: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff in his Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether his Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether his Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Department is appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

NHS: Negligence

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on proposed fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence cases of concerns expressed in a letter to him of 9 November 2015 from Action against Medical Accidents, Sands, National Voices, Meningitis Now and the Birth Trauma Association.

Ben Gummer: The Department is currently preparing to go out to public consultation on the introduction of fixed recoverable costs (FRCs) for clinical negligence claims as originally proposed by Lord Woolf and Lord Justice Jackson in 1996 and 2009 respectively. The Department undertook a pre-consultation process in late 2015 and obtained feedback from a range of respondents. Since the pre-consultation, the Department has been working to assess how concerns raised can be addressed and reflected in the formal consultation.Respondents to the pre-consultation exercise in August confirmed that there is no exact correlation between value and complexity of clinical negligence claims. The consultation will include consideration of the maximum value of claims that will be covered by the FRC regime, whether there should be any exemptions; and thedate and method of implementation. The consultation is also looking at how behaviours can change to streamline and speed up the way in which clinical negligence claims are processed through the legal system. We, therefore, do not agree with the suggestion in the 9 November letter to delay the consultation whilst a review takes place.

Great Ormond Street Hospital

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of operations carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is shown in the table below:A count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)1 with a main procedure2 at Great Ormond Street Hospital for 2010-11 to 2014-15.YearFCEs2010/1129,8282011/1232,5612012/1337,4052013/1440,5422014/1541,592Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre1. FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.2. The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (for example, time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures.

Medicine: Education

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of colleges which are available to carry out Objective Structured Clinical examinations.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not made an assessment of the number of colleges available to carry out Objective Structured Clinical examinations (OSCE).It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This may include setting out how training is assessed, for example through OSCEs.

NHS: Negligence

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on the proposed fixed recoverable costs in the clinical negligence scheme.

Ben Gummer: One objective of the proposed fixed recoverable cost (FRC) regime is to improve the relationship between recoverable costs and damages paid. Looking at cases settled post Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 we have not noticed a significant impact on this relationship.The Department is currently preparing to go out to public consultation on the introduction of FRCs for clinical negligence claims as originally proposed by Lord Woolf and Lord Justice Jackson in 1996 and 2009 respectively. Respondents to the pre-consultation exercise in August confirmed that there is no exact correlation between value and complexity of clinical negligence claims. The consultation will include consideration of the maximum value of claims that will be covered by the FRC regime, whether there should be any exemptions; and thedate and method of implementation. The consultation is also looking at how behaviours can change to streamline and speed up the way in which clinical negligence claims are processed through the legal system. We, therefore, do not agree with the suggestion in the 9 November letter to delay the consultation whilst a review takes place.

Influenza: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all people in vulnerable categories receive the flu vaccination.

Jane Ellison: This flu season eligible groups, such as those with a long term health condition, are encouraged to take up the flu vaccine through a single winter health campaign, ‘Stay Well this Winter’[1]. The campaign launched in October and advises the public on how to avoid common winter illnesses.The National Health Service and local authority partners have been encouraged to implement the campaign at local level and make use of available campaign resources, including patient letters, information leaflets and posters. Voluntary organisations, health charities and schools have received tailored resources to assist them in communicating the risks of flu and benefits of vaccination to their members and parents/pupils. General practitioners are urged to invite all eligible patients for vaccination. For the first time this flu season, many community pharmacies are also offering free NHS flu vaccinations to eligible adults, extending patient choice and opportunities for patients to take-up the vaccine.   [1] News release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/winter-campaign-starts-with-largest-flu-vaccination-programme

Arthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential application in the NHS of a treatment for arthritis proposed by researchers at Queen Mary University involving injection of microvesicles.

Jane Ellison: We are aware of a recent study undertaken by Queen Mary University of London which suggested that arthritic cartilage could be treated by microvesicles. This work is still at a very early stage and the efficacy of such a treatment approach would need to be demonstrated in clinical trials before it could be considered for routine use in the National Health Service.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people of each (a) gender and (b) age group were diagnosed with Crohn's disease in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2012 guideline Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People, states that there are currently at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom with Crohn's disease. The full guideline can be found at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152.

NHS: Negligence

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of whether there is a causal link or correlation between the value and costs of a clinical negligence claim and its factual and legal complexity.

Ben Gummer: The Department is currently preparing to go out to public consultation on the introduction of fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims as originally proposed by Lord Woolf and Lord Justice Jackson in 1996 and 2009 respectively.Respondents to the pre-consultation exercise in August confirmed that there is no exact correlation between value and complexity of clinical negligence claims.

Muscular Dystrophy: Clinical Trials

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of demand for clinical trial capacity at UK muscle centres; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The United Kingdom is a world–leader in neuromuscular research, bringing a combination of excellent translational science, well-defined patient cohorts and a sophisticated and successful clinical research system. These attributes make the UK an outstanding location for the global life sciences industry to undertake clinical trials and collaborate with leading clinical scientists.The National Health Service and the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) are working collaboratively to support the increasing number of clinical trials in neuromuscular disease.The current pipeline of neuromuscular studies for 2016 includes four phase I studies, six phase II studies, three phase III studies and one phase IV study.Currently, the most intensive trials are supported in Great Ormond Street Hospital, London and in the John Walton Neuromuscular Centre in Newcastle, where NIHR supports dedicated clinical research facilities alongside the Medical Research Council funded muscle research centres. These centres supported colleagues at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, to collaborate in a recent study supported by the NIHR Alder Hey Clinical Research Facility.Building on these successes, the NIHR is using its Clinical Research Network and Biomedical Research Centres to increase capacity and expertise at existing sites and prepare other muscle centres to be able to support the pipeline of studies. Additionally, NIHR leaders have engaged with patient organisations for neuromuscular disease and presented innovative models to enable charities to partner the NHS in developing more capacity in existing and new sites.

Neuromuscular Disorders

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made in establishing NHS funded neuromuscular networks in each region of England.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including some services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that includes an exemplar service specification for neuromuscular conditions that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf.National Health Service providers, working with local area teams, may establish neuromuscular networks if they consider it would benefit service provision. However, such decisions are a local matter.

Health Services: Older People

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to investigate the termination of the contract between Cambridgeshire Clinical Commissioning Group and the Uniting Care Partnership.

George Freeman: NHS England advises that it has commissioned an independent review to establish the key facts and root causes leading up to the termination of the contract between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and UnitingCare Partnership LLP, with the aim of identifying lessons to be learnt and next steps. The investigation, which will take place over the course of this month, will also consider how similar contracts will be managed and assured in the future.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of service provision for people affected by myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people diagnosed with myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome were referred to a specialist within three months in the last 15 months.

Jane Ellison: The commissioning of services for people with myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) is a local matter for National Health Service clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are best placed to commission services to meet the needs of local populations, taking into account the best available evidence.   To support CCGs to deliver high quality CFS/ME care, in 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced the guidance Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children. The guidance sets out best practice in the diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people with CFS/ME. Regarding specialist referral, the guidance advises that any decision to refer a person to specialist CFS/ME care should be based on their needs, the type, duration, complexity and severity of their symptoms, and the presence of comorbidities. The decision should be made jointly by the person with CFS/ME and the healthcare professional. Referral to specialist CFS/ME care should be offered within six months of presentation to people with mild CFS/ME, within 3–4 months of presentation to people with moderate CFS/ME symptoms and immediately to people with severe CFS/ME symptoms.The Department does not hold information on what proportion of people diagnosed with CFS/ME were referred to a specialist within three months in the last 15 months.The guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53.

Hospitals: Consultants

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Written Statement of 16 July 2015, HCWS114, what progress he has made on consulting on the removal of local clinical excellence awards and proposals for a reformed National Clinical Excellence Award Scheme and determining the priority that will be given to recognising service-based consultants within any new scheme and monitoring the recognition that they receive.

Alistair Burt: In September 2015 the British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS Employers agreed to recommence negotiations on reforming the National Health Service consultant contract, using observations from the independent Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB) as a starting point.The negotiations, which concluded in December, included considering the replacement of Local Clinical Excellence awards with contractual performance payments. We expect an amended contract offer will be put to BMA members in the coming weeks.We also expect to consult on proposals for a reformed national scheme early this year. This will be informed by developments on consultant contract reform, as well as recommendations previously made by the DDRB in 2012. The consultation will be mindful of the importance of recognising the contributions of all consultants including service based consultants.

Ambulance Services: West Yorkshire

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulances were diverted from hospitals in West Yorkshire to the A&E department at Dewsbury and District Hospital in 2015; and what the reason was for each such diversion.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

Dewsbury and District Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times the A&E department at Dewsbury and District Hospital was closed in 2015.

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times the A&E department at Pinderfields General Hospital was closed in 2015.

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested. Information is available at National Health Service trust level only and not by individual hospital site.NHS England advises that information is collected in the winter daily situation reports from NHS trusts about whether there was an unplanned, unilateral closure of an accident and emergency department to admissions without consultation, which occurred without agreement from neighbouring NHS trusts or from the ambulance trust.Published figures are available covering the periods 1 January 2015 to 27 March 2015 and 5 October 2015 to 31 December 2015. Figures for the remainder of 2015 are not held centrally. Published figures can be found using the following link.https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Accident and Emergency Departments

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients attending each A&E department in the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust were seen within four hours in each of the last three years.

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people attended each A&E department within the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. Information is available by National Health Service trust and can be found using the following link.https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) hospitals and (b) treatment centres use electric shock therapy for the treatment of patients with mental health problems.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health patients underwent electric shock therapy treatment in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to recover costs from overseas patients and their insurers for NHS treatment.

Alistair Burt: National Health Service hospitals have a legal duty to make representations and recover funds from those overseas visitors who are not exempt from charge for their hospital treatment; this should be from the patient directly or via their insurance company.The Department’s Visitor and Migrant National Health Service Cost Recovery Programme aims to ensure that the NHS receives a fair contribution for the cost of healthcare it provides to non-United Kingdom residents and improve the amount of costs recovered from them or their home countries, to ensure the NHS is sustainable.Since the launch of its implementation plan in July 2014 the Cost Recovery Programme has achieved much progress including:- the launch of the European Health Insurance Card reporting incentive scheme in October 2014 to improve the reporting of EHIC details of visitors and students from the European Economic Area (EEA) who access NHS care, for which the UK is entitled to reimbursement;- updated Charging Regulations from April 2015, reducing the number of exemption from charge categories for non-residents and realigning the Regulations to the principle that the NHS is a residency-based healthcare system;- requiring chargeable patients from outside the EEA to be charged at 150% of national tariff, in tandem with the launch of a risk sharing arrangement with commissioners, thereby encouraging providers to both identify and recover costs from these patients to access the extra funding available; and- the introduction of the health surcharge in April 2015 which now means nearly all individuals who require a visa to remain in the UK for more than six month’s pay an annual surcharge as a contribution towards their healthcare costs.Furthermore, those with outstanding debts to the NHS of £1,000 or more and who are subject to immigration control can, since 2011, have applications for new visas or extensions of stay refused because of that debt, to encourage them to pay it.

Psychiatry

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many psychotherapists working in the NHS are legally regulated.

Ben Gummer: Psychotherapists are not subject to statutory regulation in the United Kingdom.However, psychotherapists can register as a member of an organisation holding a voluntary register that is subject to independent accreditation by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA).The PSA accredits, and annually re-accredits, against standards, that provide assurance to the public, commissioners and employers on the level of education of the healthcare professionals and their adherence to relevant standards and guidance.

Neuromuscular Disorders: East Midlands

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient provision of neuromuscular and respiratory physiotherapy services for adults and children with neuromuscular conditions in the East Midlands.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised care for people with neuromuscular disorders. However, it commissions physiotherapy only as part of an inpatient episode. All other community and hospital outpatient physiotherapy is commissioned by clinical commissioning groups based on an assessment of local needs.Since 2015, NHS England has provided specific recurrent investment for three muscular dystrophy care advisor posts across the East Midlands.

Hepatitis

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of delays in the publication of the hepatitis C framework on (a) all people and (b) members of the South Asian population in England with hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: No such assessment has been made.

Dental Services

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS dentists were employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

Alistair Burt: Data is not available in the exact format requested.The attached tables provide the information for the period 2005-2006 for England, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear Strategic Health Authority (SHA), County Durham and Tees Valley SHA and all the primary care trusts (PCT) in these two SHAs. These data are based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006 and were a count of practitioners on PCT lists regardless of whether they had done any National Health Service work.For the period 2007-2013, data is available for England, North East SHA and all the PCTs in this single SHA. Data for the post 2006 contractual arrangements only count dentists who have carried out any NHS activity in each financial year.For the period 2014-2015, following the 2013 NHS re-organisation, data is available for England, Durham, Darlington and Tees Area Team, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Area Team and the clinical commissioning groups within these two area teams.



Number of dentists for specified organisations 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 129.13 KB)

Vulnerable Adults: Transport

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is his policy that vulnerable adult transport can be funded through the two per cent Social Care Precept.

Alistair Burt: When it is determined by a local authority that an adult has eligible care and support needs, and the provision of transport is required to meet the outcomes in the adults care plan, this may be funded as part of a formal social care package.As such, the Social Care Precept would be a possible funding stream for the local authority in these instances.

Vulnerable Adults: Transport

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of local authority funding reductions on the provision of transport for vulnerable adults.

Alistair Burt: The Department does not collect data on how much is spent by local authorities on vulnerable adult transport.Social care is a key priority for this Government. This is why, against the context of tough public sector finances; we have taken steps to protect social care services. As announced in the Spending Review, the Government is giving local authorities access to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20.This means local government has access to the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.

Vulnerable Adults: Transport

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department provides for vulnerable adult transport.

Alistair Burt: The issue of transport for vulnerable people is spread across Government, including the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Transport, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Defence.The funding for transport for vulnerable people in the Department of Health’s policy remit is provided by local authorities and clinical commissioning groups, who do not break down spend in this way. The Department of Health does not independently collect data on how much is spent on vulnerable adult transport.

Hospital Beds: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) acute and (b) non-acute beds there were in each London hospital in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Trusts: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the projected end of financial year budget surplus or deficit is for each health trust in London in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested.Projected figures for 2016-17 are unavailable. The attached table shows the projected end of financial year budget surplus or deficit for each health trust in London in 2015-16 only.



Projected end of financial year budget 2015-16
(Word Document, 26.91 KB)

Department of Health: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Jane Ellison: As at 31 December 2015, of the civil servants employed by the Department 1,180 were women and 838 were men. Their full-time equivalent numbers were 1,110 and 822 respectively.The Office for National Statistics produce annual and quarterly statistics for the whole of the Civil Service. The published figures include a gender distribution and a number of other demographics, for each Government Department and Executive Agency. These can be found at:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/index.html

Junior Doctors: Pay

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department defines the pay envelope in its work on considering the junior doctor contract.

Ben Gummer: The pay envelope for junior doctor contract reform is as agreed by the hon. Member in his previous capacity as a Minister for Health in 2013 when he approved the “Heads of Terms” for the junior doctor contract. The basis of the agreement is that the cost of the new junior doctor contract will not exceed the cost of the current contract, (expressed on a per full time equivalent basis). Subsequently, the current Government has made it clear that savings are not being sought and that junior doctors’ average earnings would not reduce as a result of the changes proposed.

Junior Doctors: Pay

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17889, whether all current junior doctors will receive an 11 per cent pay rise after (a) basic pay and (b) all other rates of pay have been taken into consideration under the proposed new contract.

Ben Gummer: Under the terms of the November 2015 offer, the current system where junior doctors are paid broad banding supplements to cover extra hours worked, unsocial hours and on call would be replaced by a contract paying doctors for all hours worked with premium rates for unsocial hours and supplements for on call. As part of this, basic pay would increase by 11%. With the addition of transition protection, the offer is an improvement on the pay structure developed whilst the hon. Gentleman was a Minister.

Health: Finance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget for public health in (a) England, (b) London and (c) each London borough is for 2016-17.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent on public health in (a) England, (b) London and (c) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: Public health grant allocations to local authorities for 2016/17 will be announced shortly.Total reported local authority public health expenditure for England, London and London boroughs for years 2013/14 and 2014/15 is set out in the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financingPrior to April 2013 primary care trusts commissioned local public health services, and information on their public health spending was not collected nationally.